On the whole

I like my job pretty well. It gets kind of lonely working by myself, but I listen to a lot of NPR and books on tape and that seems to help. I also get a little stressed trying to answer everyone's emails and struggling to keep everyone's questions/requests/deadlines straight. (My new desk at home is really helping with that. I love this desk, I found it the other day on craigslist for 50 bones! Cheap! I love it so much I called my sister as I was driving away from the lady's house that I bought it from, giddy with excitement. I felt like a thief. I was so stoked that the conversation went something like this: "DESK!!!...Solid wood!....50!...Craigslist!!!! And now I'm doing it again on my blog...DESK!!!...Solid wood!....50!...Craigslist!!!!)

Okay, where was I?.....Besides being able to create things with my hands, and work for myself, the biggest benefit of my job is the opportunity to make things that other people use as symbols of their love for each other. I love making jewelry, but I LOOOOOVE making wedding jewelry. I can't wait until my friends start getting married! I hope some of them want me to make their rings.

I do a lot of womens rings, but I feel really super lucky when I get to make the male bands as well. And maybe something pretty for the lady to wear at the ceremony, like I got to do last month. A couple had ordered this ring months ago:And then last month the future groom contacted me again about making his ring and a pendant for the bride:

It was so sweet. And I loved doing it. I really feel like I lucked into a job that lets me deal with people at one of the happiest points of their lives. I especially like it when people send me photos of their actual engagement! The huge smiles and obvious happiness is so touching, and that they thought to share it with me makes me grateful. I just have to think about that when the thought of sitting alone in my studio hammering away at something makes me not want to go to work. :-)